Costa Night
by Goopy Sentimentalist
Summary: The team of scientists working on the JENOVA Project, along with Vincent, take a trip to Costa del Sol.


Costa Night

Disclaimer – I don't own FF7 or the characters in it.

It was late afternoon when the scientists descended the ramp off the ship and into Costa del Sol. The four lab assistants could barely contain their excitement. It was rare that the scientists were granted vacations, but this week was completely theirs to enjoy. Someone had convinced the higher-ups that vacations were necessary, because if work quality dropped due to overwork, money would be wasted. It was likely one of the assistants; the Professor's skin had his pallor for a reason. He would stay in the lab 24/7 if meddlesome things like sleep and the need to eat eventually drove him out of the underworld of his precious lab.

Many of the scientists had never been to the coast before and eagerly took in the sights. Dr. Crescent, Professor Hojo and the bodyguard, Vincent Valentine followed their excited fellow scientists much more quietly.

Lucrecia was wearing a light shirt and skirt in anticipation of hot weather, but she already felt sweaty. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Vincent felt in the dark suit, but he didn't complain or even _look_ the least bit uncomfortable.

Vincent walked behind Lucrecia, resisting the urge to unbutton his jacket. He could already feel his shirt sticking to him. But he kept his hands at his side, ever the professional. He was thankful that he had gotten his hair cut earlier that week, though it was a very small comfort.

The group walked into the resort Shinra had arranged for them. "Ahh, I've been expecting you!" said the owner. He walked around the reception desk and gestured for them to follow him. He'd set up three rooms for his honored guests. The two men's rooms were spacious with three beds set up. They were decorated with brightly colored flowers and wicker furniture. Lucrecia's room was smaller but no less welcoming.

"Is everything to your liking?" asked the innkeeper.

"It's fine," said Hojo shortly, but even his usual foul mood had significantly lessened. _This vacation might not be so bad after all…_ When he looked out at the beach and the fine women on it, his face contorted into what could be called a smile.

"Ah, and here's a little something you may find helpful," he said, handing the professor a small booklet of local eateries and attractions. He paged through it quickly, frowning, then set it down on the wicker desk.

"Um, professor, do we have to be back anytime…?" asked one of the assistants.

"Eh?" Hojo looked over, then looked back out the window. "No, no, just don't bother me," he said, waving away the question. The two assistants shrugged, seeing no reason to argue with the normally domineering scientist. They went over to the desk and started looking through the book, and deciding on possible activities.

It was the same in the other room. The other two assistants, Lou and Larry, were sharing a room with Vincent. "Hey, Vincent, you wanna go to the bar with us?" asked Lou.

"I'll pass," said Vincent.

"Ah, come on," said Lou. "Seriously, we're not in Nibelheim anymore. I know you got your job, but do you _really _think something's gonna happen to us here?"

"Leave him alone, Lou," said Larry. "Maybe he's not the bar type. Not everyone likes to get smashed in their free time like you."

"Hey now," said Lou, waving his hand at Larry. "Only on days ending in Y!" He laughed at his own joke.

Vincent listened to their banter, saying nothing, and unpacked his own small bag. The other two left the room a short while later, leaving him to change. He had to admit that Lou had a point; the suit was extremely warm. He changed into a short sleeved button down shirt when there was a knock at the door.

"Vincent?" came Lucrecia's voice. Vincent felt his stomach jump and walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hello there," she said. She looked around. "Looks like everyone else left."

"Hello, Dr. Crescent," said Vincent. She looked him up and down, her lips curling up in a mischievous smile.

Vincent cocked his head. "What is it?"

"You just always look so serious, even when you're wearing…that," she said. Vincent looked over at a mirror on the wall. With a short sleeved button down shirt tucked into his pants, he looked…like an old man.

"I…"

"Why don't you un-tuck your shirt instead?" said Lucrecia. "I think that would help." She saw his hesitation and she raised her eyebrows. "We're on vacation, Vincent. There's no need to be so formal."

Vincent looked back in the mirror and un-tucked the shirt. "I suppose you're right," said Vincent, looking back at the doctor.

"That's much better," she said, nodding. "Now, would you like to get some dinner with me?"

"Alright," said Vincent. They were the last of the group to leave the resort. The sun was setting, but the little town was by no means empty. If anything, it was busier, due to the slight cooling of the weather. Brightly colored paper lanterns lit the line of shops and restaurants down the street next to the resort.

The two meandered down the lane. Every so often, Lucrecia would touch his arm casually, but even then, the touch remained after she had removed her hand.

"Oh, isn't that adorable?" she asked, pointing out a stuffed chocobo wearing a hula skirt, not really expecting a response.

"Would you like it?" Vincent asked without thinking.

"Oh no, it's alright," she said, waving her hands.

"Are you sure?" asked Vincent.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said with a small laugh. "I doubt Professor Hojo would appreciate it laying around the lab," she said, her smile fading.

Vincent had to agree. They walked along until they found a restaurant.

"Is this one alright?" Lucrecia asked.

"Anything's fine," said Vincent. They were seated in one of the outside tables. Tiki torches were set around the perimeter along, with small potted palm trees at each corner. It may have been pandering to tourists, but it was warm and festive. Decidedly the opposite of the Nibelheim lab. Looking around out of habit, Vincent saw that none of the other scientists were here.

Their host handed them each menus. Their waitress came along a few minutes later, setting down a bowl of berries before taking their drink orders.

Lucrecia popped a strawberry in her mouth and looked through the menu. It was filled with light fare like salads and sandwiches. "Know what you're getting?" asked Lucrecia after a minute.

"BLT," said Vincent without hesitation. "You?"

"This fruit and pecan salad sounds nice," she said. The waitress came by with their drinks and took their orders. The background chatter of other diners and the wash of the ocean nearby, combined with the warm light was soothing, and Lucrecia couldn't help but smile, leaning her head on her hand.

"It's nice getting away from the lab once in a while, don't you think?" asked Lucrecia.

"It is," said Vincent. "Though I don't mind being there to begin with." It was a job, but even moreso, he could see Lucrecia, if only for a few minutes when she came in the morning and left in the evening.

"Do you ever get tired of walking the same path around the mansion every day?" she asked, tilting her head.

"No, not really. There's always something new to see," he replied.

"What do you see?" asked Lucrecia. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings outside of the lab. Swipe key, go upstairs, open hidden door, try not to fall down the stairs. Except for the experiments, the lab didn't change. Whether it was winter, summer, rainy or sunny, the lab remained freezing and florescent lit.

Vincent looked surprised at the question. Though he was supposed to look out for intruders or other suspicious looking people who lingered too long near the mansion, he began to pick up on the peculiarities that existed. "Last week, I saw a fern that looked dead. When I saw it a few days later, it was like it never died."

"The Resurrection fern," breathed Lucrecia. "I've heard of them, but I've never seen them, even though they took us around the mansion before we started working there."

"The grounds are pretty large. It's my job to know all of it," Vincent said. But he suddenly felt as though he were talking too much. "What's it like in the lab?" he asked tentatively.

"I suppose the lab's big too, but it doesn't feel that way. We're always bumping into each other down there. Everyone always seems to need my help because they're too afraid to ask Professor Hojo."

Vincent wasn't surprised. "You're very approachable," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "You think so?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"You really think so…?" she said more thoughtfully. "I wish that were true," said Lucrecia. Vincent tilted his head. "No one, except for you, really wants to talk to me if I'm not in the lab. If Professor Gast were still around, I don't think anyone would know me."

"That's not true," said Vincent. Lucrecia gave him a weak smile and shook her head. Their food arrived; neither of the two talked much. Lucrecia ate quickly out of habit. In the lab, Professor Hojo frowned upon leisurely lunchtimes. At night, it was so late that she was too tired to eat anything more than a microwave dinner before collapsing into bed, still fully dressed.

Vincent took his time, enjoying his food. Out in the field, he had learned to savor his meal while still remaining focused. It was something he was taught while training to be a Turk. _We don't get many perks in this job, I'm telling you this straight out. No matter what you eat, whether it's a friggin' protein bar or a lobster dinner, enjoy it. Because it could be the last thing you eat. _

But he saw that Lucrecia had already finished her meal and he realized that he still had half a sandwich left.

---

"Are you all finished here?" asked the waitress.

"Yes, thank you," said Lucrecia. The waitress took their empty dishes and brought back the check. Both Vincent and Lucrecia reached for the check.

"Let me get it," said Vincent.

"You don't have to," said Lucrecia.

"It's not a problem," replied Vincent. "Please."

"We should split it," she said. Vincent relented.

They left the restaurant, walking in silence. The uneven light down the street didn't let him see that her face was tinged with pink. He noticed that Lucrecia seemed distracted about something.

"Are you alright?" asked Vincent, finally.

"Yes, I'm fine," replied Lucrecia, flustered.

Vincent could see right through the lie, but he didn't want to push. Hopefully it wasn't the check issue that she was upset about. They reached the resort hotel, but Lucrecia paused outside. She sighed and took in a breath.

"I don't really feel ready to go back in," she said and walked off towards the beach, leaving Vincent the easy choice of following her, as a bodyguard, of course.

It was dark at the beach, the only source of light being the low moon and stars. Pinpoints of light came from the resort town. It was a surprisingly warm night; even in Costa del Sol, the nights could get chilly, especially down by the ocean. The water washed up and down the sand in a steady rhythm, preventing what could have been an awkward silence.

Lucrecia sat down on the sand, pushing her bangs out of her face. Vincent sat carefully next to her, but not too close. His eyes flicked over the immediate vicinity. He knew he didn't have his gun with him, but he knew hand-to-hand combat, should it become necessary. Not that it would do much good against a sniper…_Vincent, what are you thinking? A sniper in Costa del Sol? _But the more he thought about it, they were very much out in the open, with no one else around. And with plenty of forest for an attacker to hide in…

"Vincent, about what I said earlier," she began suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"I guess I'm just worried...I mean, I don't mind that people talk to me instead of Professor Hojo," she began. Vincent frowned. "But what if they're just using me to get ahead? I don't mind helping, but I can't just be left behind."

"That won't happen," said Vincent, more confident than he felt. He heard the Shinra department of science was rough. If someone was no longer of use, Shinra would have no problem getting rid of them, through firing or less pleasant means.

"I hope not," said Lucrecia, with a touch of desperation in her voice. "I've worked too hard just to be thrown aside. I can't. I won't."

"Luc-Dr. Crescent, what brought this on?" he asked. Then he remembered their conversation at dinner.

"The science department's getting bigger. I help someone only to realize too late that it was their own project. No one bothers to help me with mine. Professor Hojo didn't like it, so I suppose no one else does either." She pulled her legs up to her chin and sighed.

"I don't think you should give up," said Vincent. Lucrecia looked up. "It would be…very sad if someone as brilliant as you gave up," he finished quietly. He didn't know anything about Lucrecia's project, but it didn't matter. He knew her work ethic and dedication was unlike anyone else in the lab, and that included Hojo, he thought stubbornly.

She looked over at him, seeing that there was a tiny smile on his lips. "Thank you, Vincent. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said.

In the darkness, she didn't see him blush deeply. Neither said anything for a long while. He stiffened slightly, more out of surprise, when he felt Lucrecia's head against his shoulder.

"Are you tired? Do you want to go back?" he asked.

"Mm-mm." She shook her head.

Her weight against him was surprisingly comforting. Because Turks often had to do the dirty work, they were taught to keep an emotional distance from others. Even among themselves, relationships were frowned upon, especially when the emotions could jeopardize a mission. And to even think of starting a relationship with a superior, in this case a Shinra scientist, was forbidden.

But no one was watching. Slowly, his body relaxed. Her hand found his. A jolt ran through his body. He took her hand in his; small calluses marred her hands; rough hands that told him that she was not afraid to get into her work, something that meant so much to her.

He looked down at Lucrecia, wishing that she always could be this calm. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. Soon after, their lips met. If there was any tension, it melted away. Even the sound of the ocean faded into the background. They were no longer scientist or bodyguard; they were just two people, connecting on a level where occupation didn't matter.

But it had to end sometime. When they pulled away from each other, Vincent looked away. Lucrecia's eyes went towards the sand. "I'm sorry," said Vincent, his voice husky.

"No, I should apologize, Vincent," said Lucrecia softly. A tear rolled down her cheek. She hoped that Vincent didn't see it. A moment later, he reached up and wiped away the tear.

"Vincent," she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Don't think less of me."

"I would never." His voice had lost the huskiness. She gave him a watery smile. He returned it. "Would you like to go back?"

She nodded. They both stood up, taking a step away from each other to brush off the sand. By the time they reached the resort, the incident was put in the back of both their minds, but not completely forgotten.

A/N: Oh man, I really lived up (down?) to my name with this one. By the way, Resurrection ferns are for real. And that joke that Lou made; it was fully intended to be a bad joke. :P

On a more serious note, I really did to try to capture the essence of their relationship here. I feel like it's a half-awkward, half-comfortable relationship that the two have. They obviously like each other at this point, but how much is a different story. The scene at the beach obviously could not happen back at the lab. Vincent is trying to toe the line between gentleman/bodyguard who obviously likes her whereas Lucrecia likes him in return, but her job in the lab is of higher priority than romance although she might still feel a little conflicted inside about it. Her relationship with Hojo later on fits in with that, given that those two are together mostly due to scientific reasons, but she still cares for Vincent. And I tried to end it on a semi-happy note despite the fact their relationship does not end happily, but it's too early for that. I've been rambling too much, kinda like how I mulled over this story for WAY too long.


End file.
